Bottle stopper



March 4, 1969 D. GoYET ETAL.

BOTTLE STOPPER Filed Feb, 2l, 1968 ofZ nveM'ors v DANHEL GoYE-r E JAccaue'sGRA'no-r Awww-11.* MAAS March 4, 1969 D. GOYET ETAL BOTTLE STOPPER Sheet Filed Feb. 2l; 1968 InvenJfcrs Danna. GoYT .IAccmEs GRATloT MPM* @Las Qvrnevs United States Patent O 3,430,798 BOTTLE STOPPER Daniel Goyet, Romainville, and Jacques Gratiot, Paris,

France, assignors to Societe anonyme dite: LOreal,

Paris, France Filed Feb. 2l, 1968, Ser. No. 707,140 Claims priority, applicatie? France, Mar. 1, 1967, 9 7

Us. ci. 21S-41 s Claims im. ci. Bssd 41/22, 43/02 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a new type of stopper for bottles or similar containers, which may be manufactured simply and economically and which permits the cap constituting the stopper to be placed in a predetermined position relative to the bottle, simply by inserting it into the bottles neck.

Certain types of Stoppers are already known in which the cap is fastened to the neck of the bottle by a fastener which seals the bottle. The bottle is opened by turning the cap relative to the bottle, thereby causing disengagement of the capsule since the lower portion of the latter, which is not circular in section, comes to bear against the shoulder of the container which has a particular corresponding shape.

This type of stopper has the disadvantage of requiring that the shoulder of the bottle and the lower portion of the cap have certain particular shapes which will cooperate to open the container when the cap is rotated and properly locate the cap when the container is closed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new type of stopper which, because of its peculiar characteristics, has the same advantages as the above-described Stoppers, but which also has the advantage of not requiring that the shape of the body of the container be changed, since the cap has the same shape as conventional screw type caps.

Consequently the stopper according to the invention may be manufactured with only slight changes in a conventional manufacturing mold, and this is not the case with similar Stoppers which have been previously developed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new article of manufacture consisting of a stopper for a bottle or similar container, this device being essentially char acterized by the fact that a ring at the top of the neck of the container has on its outer periphery at least one ramp which is inclined with respect to the generatrix of the neck and a protuberance over which the capsule is snapped, said cap being provided with a skirt having on its inner surface at least one member designed to cooperate with the aforementioned ramp or ramps so as to cause rotation of the cap when it is pressed against the ring and vice-versa. The cap also comprises suitable means such as one or more bosses which cooperate with the aforementioned means on the ring of the container to fastenthe cap thereto, and preferably a device designed to assure the fluid tightness of the stopper.

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In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the ramps on the ring of the container consist of thickened parts whose dimensions are such that they act like the threads on bottles of the screw-on type. These ramps may for example be four in number so as to form two sets of diametrically opposed peaks and notches.

The means which cooperate with the ramps may advantageously consist of ridges on the internal wall of the skirt of the cap. These ridges are two in number when, as indicated above, the ramps are four in number, the lower end of each ridge fitting, when the container is stoppered, into the notch formed between two consecutive ramps.

The means for fastening the cap on the container may for example consist of a continuous flange on the periphery of the neck of the container and several bosses spaced along the inner side of the skirt of the cap.

If the container is made by conventional glassmaking techniques, the circular flange on the neck of the container may advantageously consist of the molding lip which is molded on the neck of the container.

The means designed to assure the fluid-tightness of the stopper may be of any type. For example, one known means that may be used consists of a cylindrical skirt of smaller diameter on the central portion of the bottom of the cap, which skirt engages the inside of the neck of the container.

The bottle or container may be of any shape, as may the cap, but the device according to the invention will still assure a tight t between the cap and the bottle when the latter is stoppered.

If the stopper is made of blown glass, the device according to the invention permits the present finishing molds for the bodies of conventional bottles to be used without modification. Only the mold for the neck needs to be changed, and this change is relatively simple.

In the conventional techniques for making containers of blown glass, the molds consist of two distinct parts: a mold for the neck and a finishing mold. In most cases the mold for the neck may be changed or replaced Without in any way affecting the finishing mold.

Thanks to the stopper according to the invention, it is possible to change a container of any type into a container which may be stoppered in accordance with the invention by simple changes made in the mold for the neck, which is especially advantageous.

Moreover, the cap may have exactly the same appearance as a traditional cap, the devices designed to cooperate with the ramps of the neck occupying the space normally occupied by the threads on the inside of the skirt of a threaded cap.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described, purely by way of illustration and example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the neck of a bottle which is provided with a stopper in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cap adapted to be mounted on the bottle shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional View, taken along the line III-III of FIG. 4, which shows on a larger scale the cap of FIG. 2 in place on the stopper of FIG. l; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows the upper part of a glass bottle, which may be of any conventional shape. The upper part 1 of the bottle terminates in a neck 2 which, in the embodiment described, has a substantially cylindrical external surface 3 having a raised portion 4 comprising a circular ring 5, and four inclined ramps 6, 6a, 7, and 7a.

The ring 5 may be constituted by the molding lip by 3 means of which the gob of glass is supported from the neck mold.

The ramps 6 and 7 define a notch 8, while the two adjacent ramps 6 and 6a (FIG. 3) are connected at a point 9, and the ramps 7 and 7a at the point 9a.

The cap may be injection molded from plastic material and comprises a cylindrical skirt and a bottom 11, from the middle of which projects a skirt 12 having a diameter smaller than that of the skirt 10, which closes the bottle in a conventional manner when it occupies the position shown in FIG. 3.

Two diametrically opposed ribs 13 are carried on the inner surface of the skirt 10. These ribs 13 have the shape of an elongated rectangle, and are provided with a pointed end 14, as shown in broken lines on FIGS. 2 and 3.

The thickness of these ribs 13 is substantially the same as that of the ramps 6, 6a, 7 and 7a, and the ends 14 of these ribs are designed to bear against said ramps.

FIGS. 2 and 3 also show the bosses 1S which, in the present case, are four in number and regularly spaced about the inner surface of the skirt 10. They cooperate with the ring to snap fasten the capsule onto the neck.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the stopper is in bottleclosing position, the lower ends 14 of the ribs 13 seat in the notches 8 and 8a defined by the ramps 6 and 6a and 7 and 7a respectively, and the bosses are then positioned below the ring 5.

In order to open the bottle, the cap is rotated with respect to the bottle, for example, in the direction of the arrow F.

This rotation moves the ends 14 of the ribs 13 along the ramps 6 and 7a, thus axially displacing the cap toward the open end of the bottle, and causing the bosses to slip over the ring 5, thus opening the bottle.

Conversely, when the cap is replaced on the bottle, the ends 14 of the ribs 13 generally strike the ramps between the points 9 and 9a, and thus cause the cap to rotate as it presses axially downward, until the ends 14 of the ribs 13 seat themselves automatically in the notches 8 and 8a, thus assuring the proper positioning of the cap on the bottle.

This positioning is always assured by the pointed shape of the peaks 9 and 9a and the equally pointed shape of the ends 14 of the ribs 13, which will always slide down one side or the other of the peaks 9 and 9a, as indicated by the arrow f on FIG. 3.

The stopper according to the invention thus makes it possible to snap the cap onto the bottle while automatically positioning it thereon, without any need to have the lower edge of the capsule cooperate with the neck of the bottle, which may be of any shape.

On the other hand, the cap according to the invention is no bulkier than conventional caps.

It follows that it is possible, as a consequence of the invention, to manufacture bottles provided with a stopper according to the invention, without any major tool changes, which bottles differ only slightly in appearance from conventional bottles.

It will of course be appreciated that the foregoing embodiment has been described purely by way of example and may be modied as to detail without thereby departing from the basic principles of the invention.

In particular, it is clear that the stopper according to the invention may be used to close containers made of materials other than glass, and particularly those made of plastic materials.

It is also obvious that the number and slope of the ramps may be modified without thereby departing from the basic principles of the invention.

In particular, it is possible to so shape the ramps that changes in their slope at different points therealong cause a change in the axial force which is applied to the cap for a given torque exerted thereon.

In this manner, it is possible to multiply the effect of the force exerted when it is necessary to overcome the resistance of the snap fastening means.

The seal may also be effected by other suitable means, such as a sealing ring in the bottom of the cap.

Finally, the external shape of the stopper is not necessarily limited to the one which has been illustrated. It is accordingly possible to use a stopper which is square in section, the walls of which cooperate with the edges of a correspondingly shaped bottle.

What is claimed is:

1. An interlocking bottle neck and cap in which the external surface of said neck is provided with at least one ramp which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the neck and a peripheral ridge encircling said neck below said ramp, and a cap having a depending skirt, inwardly projecting catch means on the inner surface of said outer skirt dimensioned to be a snap fit over the ridge on the neck, and means on the inner surface of said skirt positioned to engage said ramp when said cap is forced down on said neck, thereby causing said cap to rotate as it is pressed down on said neck.

2. An interlocking bottle neck and cap as claimed in claim 1 in which there are four of said ramp defining diametrically opposed pairs of peaks and notches.

3. An interlocking bottle neck and cap as claimed in claim 1 in which said catch means are positioned below said ramp-engaging means.

4. An interlocking bottle neck and cap as claimed in claim 1 comprising an inner depending skirt inside said first-mentioned skirt which forms a seal against the inside of the bottle neck.

5. An interlocking bottle neck and cap as claimed in claim 1 in which said peripheral ridge acts as a molding lip during manufacture of said bottle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,064,844 ll/l962 Hoffmann 21S-46 X 3,136,458 6/1964 Ruetz 220-60 X 3,181,719 5/1965 Schaich 21S-46 3,339,773 9/1967 Stull 21S-40 3,372,834` 3/1968 Ayotte et al. 220-60 DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

